Staying Safe While Selling Your Vehicle

If you’ve decided to sell your vehicle, you probably focus primarily on getting the most money out of it. You’ve probably invested a lot of money and time into keeping it reliable and safe, so now you want to recoup some of that, usually to get a newer model that has more technology and features.

While it’s understandable that you want to get plenty of money, that shouldn’t be the primary concern when you decide to sell. Instead, you should focus on keeping yourself and your vehicle safe throughout the selling process. Scammers are more advanced now than ever before, which means you could easily find yourself in a scary situation.

Meet Publicly

When you list the car for sale, make sure you don’t give your home address. Only supply a cell or home phone number or email address. When someone is interested and calls, ask them to meet you in a public place. They are likely to feel more comfortable, as well. Good choices include well-lit parking lots that are full most of the day. Meet in the middle of the day if possible or before dark/dusk.

No Checks

While most people don’t have thousands of dollars lying around, you don’t want to take personal checks if you can help it. If someone writes a bad check, you aren’t going to know for a while and can’t get restitution later. However, you can always request that they pay with a money order for proof of purchase or ask for cash only.

If you must take a check, make sure to call the bank and verify that the funds are available before completing the transaction and handing over the keys.

Test Drives

Of course, a potential buyer wants to test the vehicle to ensure that it runs smoothly and has no noticeable issues. However, scammers might ask to take the car for a spin and never return. Make sure you bring a friend along and go with the person testing the vehicle. If you’re not back within half an hour, have your friend call the police. It’s also helpful to request to see their driver’s license and get a copy or have them bring a copy with them to give your friend in case something goes wrong.

A copy of the license also allows you to scan public records for criminal history and other background information.